The History of Gitana Productions Cont.

St. Louis Sacred Music Festival (2009)

Gitana presented the first “St. Louis Festival of World Sacred Music” in October 2009, from noon to 8:00 p.m. at the Union Avenue Christian Church. Artists included:

Ustad Imrat Khan- India’s foremost sitar and surbahar (bass sitar) musician and teacher, whose many students have included George Harrison of The Beatles and Brian Jones of the Rolling Stones. Surbahar players are rare today, and Imrat is the world’s leading exponent of the art. John Two-Hawks of the Lakota nation is an indigenous flutist, singer and musician whose Platinum Award-winning work has been featured in dozens of movies, CDs and videos. Brother Seamus Byrne is an international composer and performer of Celtic Christian music that is deeply inspiring and soul-nourishing. Born in Ireland, he lives a contemplative lifestyle with the Servants of Love monastic community near the Wicklow mountains. His plays traditional Irish flute, whistles and Bodhrán, and his melodic “old style” vocals are soothing and deeply inspiring. He has a passion for the Celtic spirit of the people who lived in Ireland from 500 to 1,000 AD. Prajwal Ratna Vajracharya practices a sacred Buddhist dance that, for hundreds of years, has been virtually unknown outside the circles of those who perform it. This ancient ritual dance dates back more than 1,000 years and is a religious discipline of the priests of Kathmandu, who perform the dance as part of their esoteric meditation practices, ceremonies and rituals. Alerica Anderson is a gospel singer, songwriter, composer, producer and director. He began playing in churches at the age of twelve, studied jazz and music performance at the University of Missouri-Columbia, and directed the university’s gospel choir. He has performed with both secular and gospel artists including Edwin Hawkins, Walter Hawkins, David Peaston, and Celine Dion.

Other musicians included vocalist Margaret Waddell, who performed 12th century Benedictine chants; vocalist Iya Ashabi, performed a Yoruba-derived African musical ceremony; and harpist Amy Camie performed a musical and lyrical interpretation of the Mesopotamian myth of Nanna and Ningal with her ensemble.

My Heart is Always Shaking: Afghan Women in St. Louis (2009)

This provocative original play about the journey of refugee women from Afghanistan to St. Louis was written by Lee Patton Chiles who based her stories on a series of interviews conducted with Afghan women living in St. Louis City.

The journey from Afghanistan to St. Louis is long and difficult; yet nearly 1,500 Afghans and 6,000 Iranians have made the trip. Many leave behind a long tradition of farming and rural life to join a metropolitan community and start new lives.

Chiles, an acclaimed St. Louis playwright, interviewed two-dozen Afghan women who escaped the Taliban and traveled to St. Louis. The women’s stories were woven together to display a clearer picture of what war in Afghanistan means to women who have experienced a life of oppression. It is a story of courage, humor, sorrow and resilience.

“When I was talking with one woman, I noticed her hands were shaking and I asked if she was afraid,” Chiles said. “She told me, ‘Yes. Even here. My heart is always shaking.’ And that told me so much about her and about the journey she is on. I think this is the kind of story that helps us all grow as people and grow in our understanding of humanity.” The play was nominated for “Best New Play” by the Kevin Kline organization.

Eye On the Sparrow (2010)

Based on the actual stories of unique and diverse St. Louisans, the play brings attention to the “sparrows” among us, the many extraordinary yet ordinary people who enrich our lives in the St. Louis region. Those who use public transportation are diverse yet they readily form a community that has all the elements of most neighborhoods. Written by Lee Patton Chiles the play incorporates stories that came from frequent riders on the Metro Bus system and the manner in which they help each other.

Some of our heroes are like sparrows, people of simple means and humble backgrounds whose work or deeds make our community better and inspire us to be better. Eye On The Sparrow captures their stories and illuminates the beauty within.

As a prelude to the play Gitana conducted a regional photo contest to identify “sparrows” that go unnoticed but who have contributed bountifully. Eye on the Sparrow was commissioned by Gitana and written by Lee Patton Chiles.

Kalapriya Dance Ensemble (2010)

Kalapriya specializes in Bharata Natyam, an Indian dance tradition whose history spans several millennia. Originally danced in the temple and at court by a specially trained class of female dancers, Bharata Natyam is a dance form recounting Indian mythology and cultural traditions. Today, it is the most widely practiced style of dance in India. The ensemble toured three locations in St. Louis to diverse audiences in St. Louis City and West County. Their performance preceded Gitana’s original play on domestic violence within the South Asian community. Immigrant and African American families were targeted for special engagement in this outstanding dance program.

Untouchable Voices (2010)

“Untouchable Voices,” an original play gives voice to the unheard stories of the Dalit or “Untouchable” people of Rajasthan, India. More than 250 million worldwide suffer from caste discrimination, segregated by birth into a caste system that deems them impure, less than human. Although the situation of many Indian “Untouchables” has improved in many ways, especially in rural areas, millions are still relegated to dangerous, unsanitary and demeaning jobs, live in slums without access to basic healthcare or nutrition, and risk being publicly humiliated, beaten, raped, even enslaved through human trafficking.

Anna Procter, actress and playwright is from Australia and singer-songwriter Tabea Manglesdorf from Germany. Both lived among the Dalit in India and have woven their experiences and interviews into “Untouchable Voices” using monologues, songs and music to create a piece of art that amplifies the Dalits’ voices. Live music included two violins, a cello, double bass, flute, piano and drums. Producer Cecilia Nadal was so moved by the play that it was added to the season just two months before the performance.

Inalienable Rights: From Pearl Harbor to 9/11 (2011)

Inalienable Rights is an original play written by Lee Patton Chiles and explores the two major attacks on American soil – sixty years apart – that created the greatest national emergencies in our history. After Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor, 70,000 U.S. born citizens of Japanese decent were rounded up and held in Internment Camps. After 9/11, Arab Americans and others who appeared to be of Middle Eastern descent but who were U.S. citizens also were racially profiled and often became “persons of interest,” their rights seriously curtailed.

Both groups suffered from looking like the enemy. We know that fear leads to actions that may be in conflict with our most cherished principles. The play “Inalienable Rights: From Pearl Harbor To 9/11” was the first in a series of events by Gitana Productions called “In Search of America.”

A panel discussion followed the matinee performance on Sunday, September 11, the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center. The panelists included Wendy Roll, president of the St. Louis Chapter of the Japanese American Citizens League; City of St. Louis Alderman Terry Kennedy; and Abbas Ali and Nasreen Bibi, members of the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR-St. Louis). Wendy Roll is the daughter of Japanese American parents who were placed into a U.S. internment camp after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Reena Hajat Carroll, MSW, executive director of the Diversity Awareness Partnership moderated the panel.

Faultlines (2011)

The original play FAULTLINES, written by Lee Patton Chiles examines issues of domestic violence and abuse of women, particularly those in the South Asian immigrant community.

FAULTLINES follows the newly married Indian woman Niragha as she leaves India and comes to America to begin her married life. Isolated and alone with a husband she barely knows, Niragha becomes the victim of verbal and physical abuse. She finds herself trapped between the world she once knew and her new homeland.

Many South Asian women in America face stresses like isolation and a cultural tolerance for domestic violence, which can fuel a fire of abuse. Statistics from South Asian domestic violence organizations in the U.S. show that one in five South Asian families in America experience domestic violence at some time. Women between the ages of 20 and 34 endure the highest rate of domestic violence, which can range from physical, verbal, emotional, sexual and economic abuse. For more information on free and confidential multilingual services and referrals, visit SAWERAA of St. Louis at www.saweraa.org .

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